Ensouled Identity: Deconditioning Philosophy and Unconditioned Theology
Diacovensia April 15, 2024 Peer reviewed DOI: 10.31823/d.31.3.4 via DOAJ
Summary
Personal identity is fundamentally linked to theology, as evidenced by philosophical discussions on the soul and phenomenal consciousness. The abstract argues that understanding personal origins and the end of life, particularly through dementia case studies, offers insights into identity that go beyond philosophy or science. This perspective suggests that personal identity should be viewed as ensouled identity, transitioning from a conditioned to an unconditioned theological understanding.
Study at a glance
| Population | case studies of individuals with dementia |
|---|---|
| Key finding | Personal identity is best understood as ensouled identity, informed by both philosophical evidence for the soul and theological reflections. |
Abstract
The nature of personal identity is ultimately theological in nature. Through a survey of some of the recent philosophical evidence for the soul (in the analytic philosophical tradition), the following lays out reasons for why personal identity is accounted for by a soul because of the nature of phenomenal consciousness as essentially descriptive of persons. Yet, this conclusion is buttressed by theological reflection on personal origins and the end of life. Through a guided reflection on the origins of persons and the end of life (through the lens of dementia case studies), further suggested information about the person as a substance of consciousness reveals more than what is uncovered through philosophical or scientific analysis alone. In this way, and building on Priest’s recents work, the following is a sketch of personal identity as ensouled identity that moves beyond what Priest calls the ‘conditioned’ mode to the ‘unconditioned’ mode of theology.